Nothing Better
by deathbycookie15
Summary: “ Well, sir... maybe this would be a good thing, us getting to know each other. Some are open to friendship, some are just afraid to let others find out who they really are. Are you afraid?” TP
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Pan Son has a job worth living for, a great best friend, and lived in a beautiful apartment, but there was something missing in her life. When she tries to find what she wants, she ends up finding something else: a friendship with the cold, emotionless Trunks Briefs. The more she gets to know him, the more she feels entranced by him. Will she help Trunks become whole again? Can she find what she's looking for? 

* * *

Hi potential readers! Have I totally bored you yet? ( I guarantee that the story is a billion times better!) Well, if I haven't, please go ahead and read! And please be kind and review.

Oh, and the Postal Service is totally the soundtrack to this. I don't know why, it just is. I was listening to "The district sleeps alone tonight" on my CD player, and suddenly this idea popped into my head.. If you like it, I just might write more ;) Well, here goes nothing

* * *

Nothing stirred, not even the frost nipped leaves on the normally busy road of South Chestnut Avenue, where a big, old apartment building stood against the chilly wind of autumn. The stones from which it was made gave a charming look to it. It stood five stories tall, with balconies set under most of the windows. Just beyond the front door was a thicket of woods, with a small park to the right. It wasn't the most lavish place, but it was home to many. When lit, it looked cheery and welcoming.

At the moment, however, all the lights were out. It was late. Anyone who had any sense at all wouldn't be awake. Everyone was asleep—all except for one.

Pan Son sat fully awake in her bed, furiously typing down research she had spent all afternoon collecting. Being the ever hard working scientist she was, she often worked way past midnight. After all, if you didn't put all you had into what you loved, what was the point? Especially if you were working for one of the top companies in the world—Capsule Corporation.

She sighed as she placed the last bit of information on her new prototype down onto her laptop and looked at her bed side longingly.

_He _didn't show up again.

"This is the second night in a row. . . "she muttered to herself, brushing a dark black lock of hair behind her ear. She had recently gotten it cut about two inches under her chin with layers all around to make it look chunkier, and her boyfriend, well, didn't really _appreciate _it. Any of her old boyfriends would've found a way to say their disapproval in a constructive manner. But ooohhh no, Kyo was different. He expressed his opinion in another way. Pans sweet, pretty face became contorted with a look of pain as she remembered what exactly had come out of his mouth that day.

* * *

"What the hell did you do to your hair?" he snarled as she walked through the door, hands baring groceries.

" What does it look like, I got it cut," she said as she shut the door, "Why, you don't like it?"

" It looks like you got it butchered. How much did you pay to get that "piece of work" done?"

" Only about thirty dollars." she told him as she put down the bags on the nearest counter and grabbed a carton of eggs to put away.

" You have to be kidding me!" he yelled out, and Pan jumped In surprise. She turned to face him, a hand on her hip, the other holding the eggs.

" Excuse me, what do _you_ waste your money on? Beer and partying with your friends, that's what. Why do you care, anyways, it's my hair, and my money." replied Pan coolly.

" It's my decision on what gets spent around here." He exclaimed angrily. She frowned.

" Since when?! When have you ever bought something that was worth anything? _I_ make the money you spend, so I should have a say in it."

As soon as Pan had said that, Kyo got up and stomped over to her, grabbing her arm and turned her forcefully to face him. He looked quite dangerous with a deep scowl on his face. He said in a threatening voice, "You say that again. . . I'll make sure that you won't get up for a while. All I want is some DAMN RESPECT!"

He knocked the eggs out of her hands and pushed her against the wall.

" Never talk to me like that. _Ever_." He spat, and he left the apartment with a slam of the door. Pan, with a scared expression on her face, slowly sank to her knees to clean the mess.

* * *

Pan shuddered at the memory. Kyo had never shown a temperamental side before. Sure he was a little sensitive to the fact that Pan made a good living, and he could barely hold his job as a waiter down at the restaurant across the street. She knew that it would make him a little sore at her when she said that, but she didn't expect him to blow up on her. Lately, he had gone through some changes. He came home less frequently, and he always tried to find a reason to fight with her. He was turning into someone different. . .someone she didn't know. He wasn't the man Pan had fallen for.

Pan took of her reading glasses and placed it on her bedside table and tossed her laptop to the foot of her bed. Giving the vacant spot another look, she flopped down on her fluffy pillow, hugging it tightly, and quickly went into a tiresome sleep.

* * *

The next day, Pan was busy at Capsule Corp. trying to figure out the prototype that she designed last night. Her friend, Jessa, who was a short brunette with a soft, kind looking face, ran in and gave her a look up and down.

" What happened to you? You look awful." She said to Pan, who just rolled her eyes.

" Do you have my coffee?" Pan asked with a yawn.

" Have I ever failed you before?" she asked holding out a fresh cup, and Pan took it gratefully, "Late night?"

" You could say that. Kyo didn't come home again; I was so worried abo--"

" Oh, hell no," said Jessa with a groan, "I know you didn't wait up for him again. Pan, would you listen to me? Kyo is not a nice guy, he's a total jerk to you. I have a feeling he's doing something. . . not so honest."

" Not this again, Jes!" yelled Pan, running a hand through her hair in frustration, "I'm tiered of you saying this to me! I've heard it all before. He just works late, that's all."

The two stood in silence for a moment, Pan messing with the hem of her shirt while Jessa looked at her feet, then at Pan's laptop. Deciding to end the silence by walking over, she looked at the plans intriguingly.

" What do you have here?" questioned Jessa. Pan, relieved the tension between them had left, looked at her screen with a frustrated smile.

" It's a new prototype I'm working on. It's supposed to help make the control system more error proof, but there's something wrong. It won't fit into the grid. You know last month when someone hacked into the data base and put that horrible, but rather amusing, picture of Jeremy doing a lap dance for the new kid in his department?" Jessa nodded her head, covering her mouth with her hand trying to hold back the snort that came through her nose, "Well, Mr. Briefs had asked me to make something to help up the level of the security module when I could find the time, and let's face it; I had a lot of that last night."

Jessa gave a reproachful cluck, but proceeded to look at the laptop. Her brows knitted as she tried to find an error with Pan's work, but couldn't find anything.

" Pan, this is brilliant. I can't understand what's wrong with it." Raved Jessa, "The scripture is amazing. I can't even read it. You need to get someone trained to--"

"Excuse me," Said someone behind the two, "Could I be of help?"

The pair turned around to see a person they didn't expect. There stood the most gorgeous man alive, and conveniently enough, he was Pan's boss. Pan stared at him with an astounded look. Mr. Trunks Briefs hardly ever came to help smaller projects, he was the president of Capsule Corps, he didn't have time for it. Pan had only worked with him a few times, and from what she gathered after the time she spent, he didn't like people much.

"Mr. Briefs, I-I. . ." started Pan, but Mr. Briefs didn't answer. He went to look over Pan's work, his face scrunched up in a concentrated look.

" Is this the new prototype I asked you to work on?" he asked in a curious yet distant tone. His blue eyes racked over the screen, trying to find the problem. They had a look about them; a look that Pan couldn't quite place. Was it sadness? Mr. Briefs normally didn't show any emotion. He never laughed; he didn't even smile. For the most part, he avoided people all together. After a moment, Pan had realized that he asked a question and she hadn't replied yet.

" Y-yes, I started it last night. I don't expect it to be anything special, there's something that won't allow it to—"

" Here, look at this." He interrupted, pointing to the screen, " You see that? That's what's causing the problem. That character isn't plausible to our system, and it's regarded as part of a foreign program of some sort, so it's automatically considered a threat. There's an alternative character. . .here." he said, dragging his finger to the keyboard and made the necessary change. Pan looked at the screen. Most any admirable scientist would've looked over that small detail.

" If that's all, I'd best be going." He said formally, standing up from his hunched over position, "Have a good day, Miss Arvy, Miss Son." and turned around without another word.

Just as he was about to leave, Pan called out, "Wait!" He paused for a moment, lifting a brow in interest. She took a breath in.

" Thank you. I really appreciate the help, I would've never found it on my own." She said at last. He nodded his head in response, but Pan could have sworn she saw a smile flicker onto his face. But it left as soon as it came, and he walked quickly out of the room.

After a moment of staring, Jessa let out a low whistle.

" Wow, is he gorgeous or what?" she asked Pan, who turned to face Jessa with a frown.

" He's our boss, he can't be "gorgeous". Just because everyone else swoons over him doesn't mean I will." She exclaimed defensively. Jessa held her hands up in peace.

" Look, I was just expressing an opinion. You don't have to go all psycho on me, god."

Pan shrugged and looked over her new and improved information, giving out a sigh. Jessa went to go work over in her station as well, and all that was heard after that was the furious typing on her part.

Pan wondered how Trunks Briefs could see something so small. She had only worked on a few projects with the man, and what she saw of him was that he was extremely intelligent. Not only that, but he _was_ gorgeous. (Not like she'd ever tell Jessa. ( Ah, the embarrassment!) Pan also didn't know anything about him. For the most part, he stayed in his office working on all the boss-man stuff.

But why? Why would a man with his talent waste his skills by just filling out paper work? Well, it didn't matter, she really didn't know him so she didn't really care. But she had to hand it to him. Spotting that impossible error. . .

"He's a genius." She stated at last. Jessa looked up from her computer in surprise.

"Who?" she asked stupidly. Pan rolled her eyes.

"Trunks Briefs, you twit. Anyways, I just can't believe he doesn't do more inventions. Did you see the look on his face when he was working on this?" she asked, pointing to her computer. Jessa just shook her head, "His eyes looked excited, almost longingly. . . like he wished that he could be in our place instead."

"You read into things too much, Pan. He's one of the richest men in the world. Why would he be unhappy?"

She looked at the screen once more, "I don't know. He seemed a little cold, didn't he?"

"I've noticed that. People tell me that he wasn't always like that, he just became distant one day."

"I wonder why. . ." Pan said after a moment. Jessa just waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't trouble yourself with him, Pan, he's just some rich jerk who only cares for himself." said Jessa.

"Oh, _really_? Is that so? We've only been working here about six months, and you don't know the guy, so how can you tell?" Pan asked indignantly.

"Well, neither do you. Why are you defending him?" she retorted back. Pan shrugged a little.

"I just think that it's none of our business. He's a little formal, so what?"

"Exactly," Jessa said in a rushed tone, as if they were going to get caught, "Why _would_ he be all formal and stuff? He's just snobby and rich. He won't mingle with us "lower class" citizens."

Pan decided to give up with an, "I guess."

' He doesn't seem all that snobby to me,' Pan thought to herself, ' Just a little. . .mistrusting.'

* * *

After Pan got home from work, she found Kyo on the couch watching TV. She threw her keys on the counter and took off her coat and walked to the fridge.

" I'm glad to see you home safe and sound." She said sarcastically. He didn't even look up. Pan sighed and decided to make a sandwich.

Getting out the ingredients, Pan noticed that there were a few empty bottles on the counter that once contained beer. She hated alcohol and Kyo knew it.

" I thought you said you were going to cut back on the drinking." She called out from the kitchen.

" And I thought I said for you to stop hasslin' me." He yelled back with slurred speech.

" Oh, please don't tell me you're drunk. I am _so_ sick and tiered of this, Kyo!" She responded in frustration. Kyo got up off of the couch and went to grab another beer. He opened it with a "phhiz" and drank it defiantly.

" God, I wish you didn't do that." She said quietly. She made to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Setting down his bottle, he used his free hand to stroke her face. Leaning in, he gave Pan a quick kiss.

" You're so beautiful, Pan. . .so sweet. . ." he told her, giving her another kiss, but this time deepening it. This was the most romantic gesture that he had done in weeks, but Pan couldn't help to overlook the fact that his mouth tasted like Guinness. It overwhelmed Pan's senses, making her want to gag. She had to break away from him, or she would throw up. She turned away and steadied herself.

" Can we do this another time? I'm really tiered. It's been a long day." She said quietly. His face screwed up with anger.

" What the hell, Pan? What's your problem now? Do I disgust you or something?" he yelled at her. She gripped at the counter.

" Well, right now, I have to say you do. You're drunk off your ass, and I'm not planning on getting intimate with you while you're intoxicated!"

Kyo turned red now, his face turned up in a scowl. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the counter, forcing his mouth over hers. She struggled against him, jerking as much as possibly to get him away from her. What was wrong with him?

She finally succeeded getting Kyo off, and her prize was a hit to the jaw. Kyo knocked Pan to the floor with such force that the whole kitchen shook. Pan sat up and winced at the pain. Blood dripped on the corner of her mouth. She looked up at him with a mix of shock and fear. Kyo, _her_ Kyo had hit her. She would have never thought it possible.

Pan didn't know how she found the strength to stand, but she did. She stared into Kyo's eyes, which seemed a little too cool for comfort, and ran a calm hand over her chin. She then opened her mouth to speak.

"Hit me again. . . and you'll be finding yourself a new place to live." and with surprising composure, she turned and walked out of the door.

* * *

Pan didn't care where she was running to, as long as she was as far away from Kyo as possible. All the composure she had was gone now, replaced with a painful tear that streaked down her face.

' He hit me, he hit me. . .'

Her feet went at a rocky pace, running down the hall of her floor. And just some useful information, running in heals is a tricky business. If only Pan had known that. As she ran, a heel broke off of her shoe, causing her to trip and fall. And just when she thought that things couldn't get worse, she discovered that she had landed on someone.

" S-sorry," she choked out, and made a rush to help the person grab their groceries.

" Miss Son?" a deep voice asked unsurely. Pan froze immediately. What the HELL was he doing here?!

" Mr. Briefs, I'm sorry. I didn't see you." she said, not looking at him. She continued to grab things and shove them messily into his bag.

" No, it's quite alright. . ." he began, but stopped himself when he noticed the little droplets of blood collecting at the tip of her chin, "Are you ok? I didn't realize that I ran into you so hard. Here, let me help you up."

Pan was about to protest, but she felt two hands grasp her behind her elbows and he pulled her to her feet.

" You didn't, I was already bleeding." She blurted before she could stop herself. He froze for a moment as he let the information set in.

" So it was intentional? What happened? Did someone hit you?" he asked with genuine concern. She had never heard him talking other than his usual monotone voice. It was. . .different.

However, she didn't put too much thought into that, for he did ask her a question. What was she supposed to tell him? That her jerk of a boyfriend hit her? That she was afraid to go back to her own apartment? No, she had a better idea. Taking in a big breath. . .

She began to run again.

* * *

Pan staggered to the end of the hall and sank to the floor. She couldn't run another step, her heart hurt so much. Kyo had hit her. And now her _boss_ knew something was up. Would he bring it up at work? Would he make her tell him who punched her? Oh god, she hoped not.

Pan was too caught up in her own little world that she didn't even notice Mr. Briefs squat down next to her, pulling something out of his pocket.

" Tissue?" he asked casually, and she looked up wide eyed. He placed his hanky onto her mouth and wiped it clean, and then he inspected her jaw line.

" Your face should feel a little tender for a few days." He continued, as if trying to get her to say something, but all she could manage at the moment was a weak nod, but soon stooped because it hurt to do so. He placed the tissue in her hand and she applied it to her mouth again.

" Would it be asking too much if I questioned about what happened?" he tried, and she just stared at the floor blankly, "Ok then. . . how about I make a guess? Um, you got into a fight with someone? No, uh. . . you ran into something? Not it either, huh? How about you bit your lip? Oh, that's dumb . . .sorry, I'm not good at guessing--"

" . . .My boyfriend hit me. . .ok?" she said quietly, trying to get up to leave, "It's no great mystery. He got mad, hit me, and I left. I tripped and fell on my boss. I ran away, and now I'm here, making even more of a fool of myself in front of you. Now I'm going to walk back to my apartment to see if the jerk is still there, and if he is, I'm going to shove my dumb, broken shoe up his—"

" Ok! I get the point. It was a dumb question to ask." He told her, getting up as well, "Miss Son, look, I don't know the situation very well, and I won't try to butt in, but if this man hits you, he won't stop."

" Mr. Briefs," she said, her tone slightly angered, "This was the first time he had ever hit me. I know my own boyfriend. He was just a little dru--," she reddened as she let that slip, but continued anyway, ". . .a little angry. It won't happen again, and he knows that I won't take it from him. Now If you excuse me, I'm going to go on a walk. Good day to you." and she walked away without another word. Trunks Briefs just stood there a moment, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Pan crossed her arms to warm herself from the chill of the night air. Oh, what a sight she must have been at that moment! A broken heel and no coat, mascara running everywhere. . .

She shivered madly. She would have to go back soon, or she'd get sick. But she wasn't ready to go back, not yet at least. Kyo was just going through a phase. He had to be! Kyo was normally sweet and caring and loved her unconditionally.

Well, sort of. The sweet part was a little exaggerated, oh, and the loving her thing was a little off too. He really didn't tell her that he loved her all that much. In fact, Pan couldn't remember the last time he said anything remotely like "love". Maybe that was it. Maybe he just didn't love her anymore. . .

" Stop it," she told her self loathingly, "you're acting stupid. You're stronger than this."

' Or at least you were.' A voice said in the back of her mind. Was Kyo taking away her confidence? What was he doing to her? Well, whatever it was, she didn't like it.

Soon Pan looked around to where she had subconsciously walked. She had found herself at her favorite park, which wasn't but half a block away from her home. She sat down absent mindedly on her favorite swing, which was tied to a tree. Using her feet to push, it creaked as she rocked back and forth, thinking deeply. What would happen if she left Kyo? What if Mr. Briefs was right? Would Kyo hit her again? She took her head in her hands and gave a great sigh. She couldn't just give up. She had put so much into the relationship, it'd be foolish just to pull away now.

" I'll give it a few weeks," she said aloud, as if to help convince herself that she had made the right decision, "and if it doesn't improve, well. . ." she looked back at her apartment building, which stood out amongst the trees. She smiled a bit.

" Then it's over."

* * *

So, do you like? If you do, than review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You know da drill. . .

Ok, second installment. Yay!

* * *

Chapter 2

At work the next day, Pan was looking at herself in her compact mirror, scowling at how poorly her cover up "_covered up_." The purple of her oh so lovely bruise showed through brilliantly. Closing the mirror, she set herself back to work at creating a new invention.

Jessa walked in the room just a moment later, the coffees she held sloshed about in their convenient café cups with lids, which was good because it would've been all over Jessa's shirt.

However, lids don't prove very helpful when the cup's dropped on the floor.

Jessa stood transfixed by Pan, who looked up to see a very startled best friend and coffee all over the floor.

" Pan, what happened to your face?" she asked quickly, and also rather bluntly as well. Pan gave her a look.

" Oh, it's nice to see you, too." Pan said sarcastically.

" Pan I'm serious," said Jessa in a voice much unlike her own, " Did that bastard hit you?"

" Relax, will you?! And keep your voice down." She said, and went to shut the door.

" Oh, my god. . .why didn't you call me? Did you spend the night with that ass?" she said, her voice quiet yet it trembled with anger. Pan shook her head slowly, leaning on the door.

" I ran out right after he hit me," began Pan, "He left by the time I came up, and I locked the door afterwards. I'm ok, now, really."

" Pan," Jessa said softly, walking over to Pan and taking her hand, " I want you to come live with me. It's not safe where you are now. He's dangerous."

" I'll be fine. I'm giving it a few weeks to see how things are."

" NO! Pan, this is bad! He _hit_ you! Don't you understand? Giving him another chance will only make things worse! I don't want you hurt." she screamed out, looking as if she was about to cry. Pan moved in to give her a hug.

" Listen, the moment things get bad, I'll leave, ok? I just want to see if he can go back to the way he was, to the man I loved. Please, just trust me on this. I promise I'll leave him if he hits me again."

Jessa waited for a moment to let Pans words sink in. If she wanted to try it her way, fine. But she would get hurt one way or another, and Jessa knew it. She wanted to beat some sense into Pans head, anything to get her to see what she was setting herself up for. But she couldn't. No matter how much she cared about her, she couldn't interfere with something like love. Jessa knew Pan would get hurt, but she had to let Pan find that out for herself.

" Fine," she exclaimed, "have it your way. But if he hits you again, I'm going to personally kick his ass."

" Only after I'm finished with him." Pan said back, and smiled widely.

" Oh yeah, you take those class things that makes you all Jackie Chan-like." She scoffed. Pan gave a laugh and walked back to her desk.

" Maybe you should, too. You're looking a bit. . . frail."

" Shut up." She muttered incoherently, sitting down at her own desk, but just as she did so, Mr. Briefs walked in, standing in the doorway rather shyly.

" Miss Son, can I speak to you for a moment outside?" he asked unsurely. Pan nodded, a look of alarm came to her face. He was going to ask about the little incident the night before. She knew it! She knew that he would be curious as to why she blurted out everything.

After Pan was outside of her and Jessa's office, Mr. Briefs turned to face her. 'Oh, here it comes. . .' she thought sourly.

" The prototype was amazing, Miss Son," he told her, and her mouth dropped to the floor. She was not expecting that.

" It ran perfectly, and there weren't any problems whatsoever. I'm impressed." He continued, and she flushed, and murmured a "thank you".

" It wasn't really all me, sir, you helped yourself, remember?" she told him, her face still a bright red.

" Don't even think about that," he said with a wave of his hand, " It _was_ all you. I expect great things later on, Miss Son."

She gave another thanks, and was about to go back into her office when Mr. Briefs said, "Oh yes, there's something else I'd like to say."

' Oh, shit. . .'

" About last night, I'd like to apologize." He said calmly.

Yet another surprise.

" It wasn't my place to lecture or give advice. I was just concerned." Pan was almost ashamed of herself! Here was Mr. Briefs, saying that he was concerned about her well being, and—

' Wait a minute, did he say "concerned"?' she asked herself. She thought that he never showed emotion. If it were in any other situation, she would've thought it awkward, but she was far too preoccupied to think about it.

" Oh, please don't be! I'm fine, and there's really nothing to worry about. I can handle myself. I'm really sorry I acted like a jerk, in a hallway, of all places." Speaking of which, that brought her to another point.

" Um, if I may ask, what were you doing in that apartment building last night?" she asked quickly, unable to keep the curiosity from her voice. About a million theories fluttered into her head. He could've been visiting a friend there, or going there to check out the facilities for some unknown project. Or maybe(she gave a silent snort at this) he was visiting a secret _woman_. But that theory left as soon as it came. She just couldn't see him reacting with other women. His voice suddenly penetrated her thoughts.

" Well, Miss Son, I am entitled to live somewhere, am I not?" he said smoothly, and it caught her off guard.

" You what? In that little apartment building?" she asked in disbelief.

" Oh, I thought it was nice. I like older buildings, and that place caught my eye. I moved there a few months ago. And what about you, do you live there, too?"

" Yep," she replied, still a little dazed, "I live on the forth floor."

" I'm on the fifth. Maybe you can come over and talk with me about all your ideas. I'm eager to learn more about your theories." Said Mr. Briefs in a inquisitive tone. Pan raised her brow questioningly.

" S-sure." She stammered. And he then did the most surprising thing that had happened in all the time Pan had worked for Capsule Corporation.

Trunks Briefs smiled.

Pan's eyes widened at this. It was just a small, insignificant gesture, but it did something to him. It made him more _human_. But she knew it wasn't a true smile. She could still see pain in his eyes. But it was a start. Pan felt herself smile, too.

" See you around then, Mr. Briefs." She exclaimed , and made to open the door. When she did, a very flustered Jessa tumbled out onto the floor. She got up, red faced and embarrassed, and she straitened her skirt.

" You know, this carpet is really nice," was all she said before running back into the office. Pan let out a laugh and Mr. Briefs shook his head and walked away.

Pan entered the office again and sat down, her smile still firmly attached. Jessa turned to Pan with a scowl embedded into her face.

" I just made a total ass out of myself." She said scornfully. Pan nodded her head quickly in response and Jessa threw her pen at her.

" Sorry, Jessa. You should've seen yourself."

" Oh, yes, hahahah. It's so damn funny," she yelled, throwing herself down in her chair, then added as an afterthought "I heard your whole conversation, by the way."

" Well, I guess you know that he lives in the same building as me now. It's so weird. I swear I would've run into him at one point or another."

" Pan, you've been living there for a year, and you still don't know anyone that's' living there, why would you know about him?" said Jessa.

" Shut up. I know two other people." Pan said in an attempt to defend herself.

" Was it just my imagination, or was "Trunks Briefs the expressionless" actually _smiling_?" Jessa asked with a gleeful glint in her eyes.

" Yeah," said Pan, "It's really strange. But one thing's for sure, he looked really good. . ."

" HA, I told you he was hot!" Jessa screamed. Pan became extremely flustered and went back to her work, mentally slapping herself for letting that slip.

* * *

The next two weeks went smoothly for Pan. Kyo had come home the day after he hit her, saying that he was so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing, and he actually begged for forgiveness. Pan was so surprised that she didn't stop him from hugging her. Yes, it seemed as though everything would be alright.

However, things didn't stay so smooth at the apartment for long. Soon enough, Kyo was back to his old tricks. He stayed out late, came home, and drank even more than he had before, but he was still as sweet as pie to her, so Pan didn't think twice about it.

One day at work, Mr. Briefs came to Pan's office while she was updating a new idea of hers. She looked rather scruffy in comparison to him; the sleeves of her white sweater were rolled up messily, and her hair was pulled back in a sloppy pony tail. Some hair, for it was too short, slipped out and loosely hung around her face. She bit her pen profusely as she pushed her reading glasses back onto her nose. It was a huge contrast to Trunks Briefs. His soft, purple hair was perfectly groomed as always, and his black button up shirt matched well with his super ironed kaki pants. Pan looked up after a few minutes of him standing there and blushed immediately.

" M-Mr. Briefs, I didn't see you there!" she cried out, jumping out of her seat. He held up two coffees from the cafe in the building and walked over to her with his large stride.

" That must be because you haven't had your coffee yet. I noticed that Miss Arvy isn't here today, and wondered where you would get your supply of daily caffeine. I was on my way to get some myself and I thought I might as well bring you one and we could mull over this new idea I've heard so much about." Pan smiled brightly.

" How sweet of you," she said in a warm tone, "Jessa's sick with the flu. When I went to pick her up(because her car's in the shop) she was on her couch barfing."

Pan didn't expect him to say much, due to his inability to show much emotion, but too her surprise his eyebrow twitched uncomfortably.

" Er, yes, I received a call from Miss Arvy this morning about her illness." He said with all the formality he could muster. Pan smiled to herself. She wondered if Mr. Trunks Briefs was one of those men who couldn't take a dirty conversation. She could have loads of fun with him, but for the sake of her job, she decided against it.

" Well, what is it you wanted to know about?" she asked, pushing her chair away from her desk to get a better look at him. He grabbed Jessa's empty seat and sat next to her.

" This invention everyone has been talking about for the last few days. I hear you want to design a new under water craft. What's wrong with the 3065 model?" he asked her, taking a sip of his coffee. She fidgeted as he set his stare on her.

" I know it's tech has just been updated," she began unsurely, " and that we spent a lot of money trying to make it more of a durable product.. . ."

Pan hesitated for a moment. He raised a brow as she bit her lower lip.

" Do you mind if I tell you exactly what I have to say?" she asked quietly.

" If you think it's something that I should know about, by all means tell me." He told her, placing his chin on his folded hands and listened attentively. 'He looks positively adorable sitting like that' Pan told herself, but shook the thought out of her head.

" The people who did the improvements did a horrible job." She said bluntly, and needless to say that he was taken aback.

" Have you actually seen the new model? You can't go deep sea diving for more than twenty minutes at a time. The water pressure is too much for the exterior of the craft. The outside wasn't made to equalize the pressure between the water and the air inside. There could be major problems for buyers who use them."

Mr. Briefs looked at her closely before nodding his head.

" What do you suggest we do?" he asked, running a hand threw his oh so glorious hair.

" Let me take over the remodeling, and I can improve it." She said confidently. He nodded once again and his eyes glanced over to the clock. His eyes widened and he wrote something down on a piece of paper furiously.

" I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I was supposed to be in a meeting ten minutes ago. Here's my apartment number. I was hoping you could come by later and tell me more about this situation. This is truly distressing to hear. . .

" Will I see you tonight then?"

" I don't have a problem with it. I'll be over at eight, if that's ok." She replied, taking a long drink from her coffee.

" That sounds fine with me. I guess I'll be waiting for you." and he left without another word. Pan watched him as he did, a pondering look graced her features. Why was he so formal all the time? He seemed so distant. And another thing, why didn't he supervise the water craft? He seemed to enjoy making inventions, it would've been a thrill for him. Well, he wanted to talk about it tonight anyways. She could ask him about it then.

' I just hope tonight will be one of those nights Kyo disappears.'

* * *

Pan found herself knocking on the door of apartment number 5 18, waiting expectantly at three minutes to eight. She straitened the pair of jeans that she had on nervously. She hoped that he didn't expect her to wear her work cloths, she liked her pants. 'They're just so cute. . .'

Trunks Briefs opened the door, and to her relief he was wearing jeans, too. ' He looks so different in regular clothes. It makes him more approachable. Hmm, he looks cuter then my jeans. . .'

" I'm glad you could make it, Miss Son." He said, welcoming her inside his apartment. She looked around, expecting to see lavish items everywhere: huge leather furniture, big artistic pictures, creates and creates of expensive junk from Africa, all the rich guy stuff. But she was surprised to find a normal, squashy couch with a matching set of chairs, normal little frames with just regular pictures in it, and a bunch of rather modest things. Wasn't he supposed to be rich?!

" Is something the matter?" he asked, and she jumped at the remark.

" Oh," she said, blushing furiously, "I'm sorry, I was just expecting to see more of a. . . lavish setting." She finished meekly.

" I get that a lot." He said after a moment with a very light smile, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if it makes you feel better I have a huge TV."

Pan let out a loud, ringing laugh at this. He stood there watching her. For some weird reason, it intrigued him. It wasn't the annoying, false laugh that he grew so accustomed to. It was warm. . . pretty. Becoming quite aware of herself, Pan immediately stopped, blushing to her roots.

" Sorry, I know I have an obnoxious laugh. I get a little carried away. Just stop me next time I do that." She told him.

" No, I don't find it obnoxious at all," he said, almost sweetly, " It's quite. . .charming."

Her face was so warm that she could swear it was on fire.

" Well, if you could sit down, we can continue our conversation." He continued, sitting down gracefully onto his chair. She followed suite, fidgeting a little as he stared at her expectantly.

" Well, as I said before," she started, "the team who worked the project didn't improve the model all that much. The appearance factor, yes, but the usefulness, no. The pressure in the cabin will cause the water craft to explode. It's in the company's best interest if we remodel it, considering all the faults of the old one."

" Then I guess we have our work cut out." He told her, leaning into his chair. Pan looked surprised.

" We, sir?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded his head.

" It's not that I don't trust you, Miss Son," explained Mr. Briefs, "but from what you've told me, I have to supervise the more expensive projects. I really screwed up, didn't I?"

She shook her head, a little surprised that he was showing her a some what vulnerable side, and told him in a reassuring voice, "You're important to the company, you have to make choices to be in one place or another. No one holds it against you."

" I suppose, but I still think it would be wise if I help this one a little bit. I don't want another problem erupting and having you to be the person to take the blame. If it would be anyone's fault, it would be mine. So, do you think that we could be partners for a while?" Pan looked thoughtful for a moment, and then turned to face him.

" Only if you can answer me one question." She said, and he bit his lip in response.

" It depends," he told her coolly, "but go ahead and ask."

" Well, why is it that you didn't help with the water craft? And it's really not just this one, it seems like you never can help with the other projects, too. You're too brilliant of a man to be locked up in an office all day."

For a moment, Pan could make out a faint blush of Mr. Briefs cheeks. The man was actually _blushing!_

" T-thank you, Miss Son," he said, his voice a little less composed then normal, "Not too many people tell me that and make me believe it. As for you question. . .it's hard to explain. I have an obligation to my family, as you are well aware that it is indeed a family corporation, and I have to do what I can for the company as its president. It was my mother's wish before she went."

" Oh, I'm so sorry," Pan said quickly, "when did she die?" Trunks Briefs gave a small smile at this, and it looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.

" My mother is perfectly well, she retired a little over a year ago and is enjoying her life in England. However, she can't stand not working so she develops new products whenever she can. As for me not being able to work on many of the projects, it's because I have to keep the company running. There's no one that I can trust who can help me, so I spend most of my time trying to keep everything in order."

" Your mother had helped her father until you came, right?" she asked and he nodded his head, "Then you began to help when he retired. So if your mom hates to not work, why don't you ask her to help run the company?"

Mr. Briefs shook his head with a sigh, "You have to understand, I don't want to make my mother think that I'm unhappy. If I ask her to come back, then she'll try to take over everything. I couldn't have her do that."

At that moment, Pan felt particularly bold. She made to look dead center into his eyes to make sure he wasn't lying.

"Are you unhappy?" she asked quietly. Nothing was said for a while, and from the strained look on his face, Pan inferred that he was asking himself the same question.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly, "I guess I am. . ."

Pan watched him as he sat there in self reflection. His brow was knotted, a frown deep on his face. It was as if he had just realized that he was unhappy with his current position. If only there was something that she could do for him.

"Well then, enough about that," he said as he got up from his seat, "we have a good part of the night to start planning about this, so lets get started, that is, if you don't mind staying for a little longer?"

"Of course not," she replied, relieved that the silence was over, "And I'm way ahead of you with the planning. I've already started a few days ago. I have it all on my lap top."

"The surprises just keep on coming with you, don't they?" he questioned, and she shook her head enthusiastically, "I guess I'll go get us some coffee, then."

She flashed him a smile and he went into his kitchen. She got up from her seat to grab her laptop, which was over by the coat rack. She lifted it from the ground and turned around to make her way back, but as she did so, she knocked into a table with a bunch of papers on it. She cursed her clumsiness and began to pick them up and order them the best she could. Suddenly something caught Pan's eye, and she quickly placed the rest of the papers onto the table. She picked it up and realized it was a picture frame. She looked at the picture closely, and her eyes widened with shock.

It was a very happy looking Trunks Briefs with a beautiful blond woman. It had to have been a recent photo, because they were standing in front of a restaurant built about a year ago. He had his arm around her comfortably and she held his hand. He was looking at her adoringly with an expression that she never thought would come to his eyes.

Love.

Pan smiled a little at the thought, but it left quickly when she heard a noise behind her.

"What are you doing?" Trunks Briefs asked quietly, his tone a little angered. Pan spun around quickly, placing the photo down.

"I'm so sorry, I knocked into the table when I went to get my computer. I just picked up the picture. I never meant to look at it." she said frantically. After saying "sorry" about a million times, Mr. Briefs calmly interrupted her.

" It's quite alright, Miss Son," he said, "I'm not offended. Lets get started now shall we?" He placed the coffee down on a table between the two chairs.

" S-sure." Said Pan, a little shaken up. They sat down once more and began to discuss feverishly about the ideas Pan had.

* * *

Four hours and six cups of coffee later, Pan got up to stretch. Her back giving a satisfying crack, she grabbed her laptop and prepared to leave.

" It's getting late," said Pan, "I really appreciate you helping me with this."

" It's no problem, really," he said to her, getting up to walk her to the door, "Come over any time you wish. Tonight was. . .the most fun I've had in a while."

" Oh, come on, you had to have been secretly wishing that I was gone," Pan said with a laugh, "You're just being nice."

" Ok, you got me there." He said in a joking manner. Pan smiled again, but soon replaced it with a more somber expression.

" Uh. . . Mr. Briefs?" she asked unsurely.

" Yes?" he replied back. She hesitated for a moment. Was what she was about to ask appropriate? Of COURSE not! But it could finally answer her questions about why he was the way he was.

" That girl. . .I'm assuming she's your girlfriend, am I right?" she said slowly. His eyes flinched for a moment, as if he was hit with a brick.

" Was. . ." he corrected. She nodded her head. She was getting somewhere now.

" If I'm prying too far into your life, please tell me." she said softly, "I just wanted to know little more . . .about you."

He stood there for a moment, looking as if he was debating with himself. He already knew so much about her life, and she hardly knew anything about his. ' I've never told anyone this. . .' he thought to himself, ' But I owe her some explanation, she gave me one about her relationship.' At last, he looked up, his eyes no longer firm and emotionless, but unbalanced and swirling with pain.

"We broke up about five months ago." he said, his gaze drifting to the floor, and Pan was taken aback. He was actually going to say something!

"It was. . . a painful separation. I thought she cared about me, but it turns out she cared about my money. She ended up cheating on me with some other rich guy who would "spend more on her". It's really my fault, come to think about it. I was different once. Arrogant, rude, I thought bad things of people working "lower" jobs. . .I was just not a nice person. I use to think that money was so important, that it could make me happy. I thought it would make her happy too. Image was all that mattered to her. I _had_ to have that house, I _had_ to have that new car. . . it was all for her wants. I thought it would be enough for her, but it wasn't. That's why I moved here, so I could get away from all of that superficial stuff. So I could get away from the memory of her. . ."

Mr. Briefs looked up to see a solemn Pan. She didn't look piteous or upset. ' She's going to think I'm weird now. She won't want to speak with me anymore. Why did I tell her all of that?'

"I'm sorry Miss Son, I've never told anyone, I didn't mean to say all of that to you, I—"

"Please, don't be," she interrupted, her voice slightly wavering, "You shouldn't apologize for anything. She should be the one who's sorry. What she did was wrong, it's not your fault. Women like that. . .they don't deserve men like you." He looked shocked at her reply. Was she for real?

"You wouldn't have said that if you knew me a year ago." He said with a small smile, " Well, I guess I should really thank her. If it wasn't for her money groveling ways, I'd still be the same. I think I like living a more simple life, anyways."

"Well, who you were then doesn't matter. You're a good man now, and don't let her ruin what your life could be. She's not in it anymore, and that's her loss." Pan said softly, in a sweet, comforting manner.

" Thank you," he said slowly, "you know, you're a very. . .different person. I don't think I've met anyone quite like you before."

" Is that a good thing?" she asked him, raising a perfectly arched brow. He shrugged a little.

" I think so. No one else I know would've comforted me the way you did just now, especially someone you hardly know."

Pan studied his face with a new interest. It seemed a little lighter, less expressionless. Maybe she was getting through to him. However, there was still a missing part to him, the part that was destroyed when he was betrayed by the one he loved. She vowed to herself right then and there that she would help Mr. Trunks Briefs to become a whole person again by the only way she could.

She would do it by befriending him.

"Well, sir," said Pan, "maybe this would be a good thing, us getting to know each other. Some are open to friendship, some are just afraid to let others find out who they really are. Are you afraid?"

He gawked at her, his gaze held rather intensely with her own, searing through her as if he was trying to find anything to indicate that she was lying to him, trying to hurt him. But he could find nothing. He shook his head lightly.

" So what do you say, can we be friends?" she asked him, holding out her hand. He grabbed it hesitantly, shaking it.

" I'm a little foreign with the subject, but I'll try." He exclaimed, and then he smiled. Not the small ones that he could manage every once in a while, a huge, broad one that took over all of his face. It wasn't even like the one at the office the day after Kyo had hit her. It wasn't sad, it was a true, beautiful smile, one that Pan became entranced with. She suddenly wanted to see more of his smiles, see what was really inside of him.

" You know something, sir," Pan said, opening the door, "You have a nice smile. You should show it off more. See you at work." And with that, she gave him a peck on the cheek.

Pan turned and left the apartment with a bounce in her step. Mr. Briefs stared at her retreating back incredulously, a hand flying to where her lips were just a minute ago.

" Yeah. . . tomorrow."

* * *

It was safe to say that Pan's relationship with Trunks Briefs was certainly different then it was before. At work he'd give her a friendly wave or pull her aside for a little chat. The water craft turned out to be a big hit. What was more important though was that Trunks Briefs was happier then she had ever seen him. She picked up quickly that he was still a little mistrusting, but she couldn't do anything about it except for just to let him get to the point where he was totally comfortable with her all on his own. But that wasn't what was on her mind at the moment.

Pan was at her favorite food store picking out something special for Kyo. She was let off two hours early and he was still at work. He had been so good to her lately. Giving her back massages; buying her little gifts. Nothing bad had happened for a month. She thought she'd give him a little treat tonight. . .

Opening her car door and turning the ignition on, she thought dreamily to herself. Finally it seemed as though she got her old boyfriend back. Oh, how she missed the feeling of being loved by someone. Well. . .actually he hadn't said he loved her quite yet., but it was only a matter of time! Kyo wasn't the type of guy to express his feelings all the time, anyway. Soon. . .soon he'd tell her.

Pan opened the door quietly, smiling the whole while. With her coat and hat still on, she set down the bag with all of the ingredients that she was going to use on dinner that night on the counter. Humming to herself, she opened the fridge and grabbed out some sauce and proceeded to open it. But sounds of . . .something rang out through the apartment.

" What the hell. . .?" Pan said aloud. Was someone in her apartment? Come to think of it, the apartment was unlocked when she came home. What was going on? Was there a burglar there?

Going to her closet, Pan grabbed a wooden sword her uncle had sent her when she was in one of her "phases". Martial arts had been the only thing she had kept up through the years as a serious hobby. Everything else was just fun little projects. She went through them often, just to liven up her life a bit. The month before had been Pilates, and this month was sword fighting. Flinging the sword over her shoulder, she began to follow the sounds of thumping. Taking careful foot steps forward so not to make a sound, she soon found herself outside of her bedroom. Gripping the sword until her knuckles turned a nasty shade of purple, she reached out to open the door just a crack.

Well, she could rule the burglar theory out, for it was definitely _not_ a burglar.

Pan stared as if she was paralyzed in horror by the sight of Kyo in _her _bed with some girl wrapped in _her_ sheets, but he didn't seem to notice her. Kinda like most of the time, except he was having sex with some dirty blonde woman. Yes, they were too caught up in the "fun" that they were having to see her almost fall to pieces at the site. Her sword slipped from her shoulder, a loud "clack" stopped the commotion on the bed just long enough for Kyo to look up and see a rather pained Pan.

Ah, so he finally noticed her.

" P-Pan, honey!" he stuttered, and proceeded to say stupidly, " What are you doing here?" He quickly got up, trying to find his boxers, but tripped on the comforter. The blond woman gave him a look.

" Kyo, darling, just call me later," she said drawlingly, as if she was found in bed with another woman's boyfriend often, then got up and slipped on her dress, "Come over after your done with _this_." She gave a cold stare over to Pan and continued to walk, brushing by Pan with a smirk. Pan resisted the urge of strangling her and set her eyes on the half dressed Kyo. Oh, yes, she'd be saving the strangling for him. Kyo decided to speak again.

" Pan, listen, this was a mistake, she came onto me—"

" And she was the one that took you here and forced you to sleep with her? From where I was standing it looked like a joint effort! How stupid do you think I am?" she questioned harshly, her voice strained from the effort of not crying. He gave her a blank stare.

" What do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked with the most sweetness that he could muster, reaching out to her take her hand. She pushed him away quickly, her pained look replaced with an angered one.

" Shut up. Don't you play dumb with me, I can see right through it, you idiot," she replied sourly, looking away from him, "How long?"

" Huh?" said Kyo dumbly. She scowled, picking up her sword and she walked back to the closet and threw it in, Kyo close at her heals.

" You know what I'm talking about. How long have you been seeing THAT!" she yelled, throwing an arm at the door that the blonde woman had just recently walked threw.

" Only about a month. . ." he said lamely, deciding to give up on what he thought was a good lie. A bitter laugh bubbled from Pans throat. Kyo gave her a bewildered stare as she began to put away the ingredients that she had gotten out only moments before.

" How could I have been so stupid," she asked herself with a frown, closing the fridge door, "so that's why our relationship had finally taken a turn for the better. It was because you were screwing someone ELSE!" she screamed out, throwing an apple that she picked up at him, making Kyo flinch slightly.

" I'm telling you the truth, it was a stupid mistake. You're the one I want. I love you, Pan."

He had said it, the words that she had wanted to hear for so long. But it hit her ears like daggers. It sounded empty coming from his lips. At that moment, Pan realized that Kyo had never loved her. She was just a safe spot for him. He might've had some kind of infatuation with her at the beginning, but nothing more. He was looking for his fun in other means. She looked at him for the first time in minutes, noting the look of falseness on his face.

" You know, Kyo," she said sullenly, "I've been waiting for months to hear you say those words to me, but hearing them now just seems so wrong. It's normally a beautiful phrase, but with you it's a tool to manipulate me with, and I'm tiered of it. You've abuse the words for far too long. Save them for some other woman."

" But Pan—"he tried, but was interrupted by her pointing to the door.

" Get out." She said calmly, putting on an indifferent face. He made to grab her hand but she pulled away, "Get your things and leave. You've been slowly taking away all of what I liked about myself. Go find the tramp you were with earlier, work your magic on her."

" Pan, don't do this." He pleaded. She just shook her head.

" You just don't get it, do you? I don't want you. . .I don't need you. Get out of my apartment, you manipulative little bastard." She finished. Suddenly, his face grew red with anger.

" I've tried to be nice, Pan, for a whole freaking month, and this is what I get?" he replied. She only stared at him blankly. Suddenly there was a look of realization on his face.

" You know, _darling, _now I see there was never even a point in it, because I can control you with one emotion: fear. When I hit you that day, I saw fear in your eyes. At that moment I knew that you'd be too afraid to leave me. You're afraid of _me_. I didn't have to treat you like a princess all this time. You wouldn't be able to live without me. You won't leave me," his tone made a dramatic change from earlier, and then an insane looking grin spread across his face, "I'd kill you before you'd get the chance."

Suddenly, he grabbed her and shook her painfully. He lifted his hand and sent it soaring to her face. It hit her lip, making a sickening noise as it burst. He wasted no time in punching her in her stomach, then gave an uppercut to her chin. He threw her along the counter, sending glass crashing to the floor. Grabbing her by the neck, he kneed her in her gut, then threw her to the ground. Pan coughed up blood onto the shiny tile floor, taking in a painful breath. Was she going to let him beat her like this? Was she going to die?

'No, not again. . ." she thought, clambering to her feet. She faced Kyo with a determined glare that he had never seen before, clutching her fist.

" Didn't I say that I'd make sure you'd get it if you talked to me like that again?" he asked loudly, getting ready to punch her. He launched his fist at her once more, but this time she caught it.

" Well, looks like your plan's going to back fire, isn't it?" she asked, taking his own fist and slamming it into his face. He fell back a few steps, grabbing at his bleeding nose.

" Don't you remember?" she continued, "I've been taking martial arts classes for years. I'm tiered of letting things go on when I know I can stop them; I'm tiered of taking your abuse thinking that you'll stop, so let's see how _you_ like it!"

Pan hit him on the broad side of his face, then kicking him in the stomach. Kyo coughed for a moment, giving her a hateful look. He made another attempt to attack her, but she ducked quickly, crouching on the ground to trip him. He landing on his back and yelled out in pain. He laid there for a moment, just trying to catch his breath. She gave him a sneer, then turned to walk away. Feeling like she had done enough, she was done with that fight.

But it seemed that it wasn't quite done with her. Kyo got up yet again and grabbed her hair, and with a yank, slammed her against the wall. He grabbed a knife from the knife block on the stove and pressed it to the side of her neck. Pan shuddered as she felt the steel penetrated through her skin, sending warm blood trailing down her neck.

" You dumb little wench," he said through gritted teeth, "You could've just continued our relationship and pretended nothing happened. But now you're going to die."

Pan grabbed at his hand and tried to pull the knife off, but he proved too strong for her. She began to feel dizzy. She had to do something!

" Kyo," she squeezed out as he pressed the knife harder with a crazed laugh.

" What? A last request before I send you off?" he said, his demonic smirk still firmly attached.

" Get bent."

She kneed him in the stomach as hard as she could. Air whooshed from his lungs as he doubled over with pain. As soon as his hand fell from her neck, she delivered a powerful round house to his head, sending him flying to the ground.

" By the time I get back," she said, wiping the blood from her forehead, "you had better have your ass out of here." He looked up at her, his mouth hung open dumbly.

" Good bye Kyo." Was the last thing she said to him before she walked out of her apartment, not looking back once.

Pan walked slowly to the end of the hall, leaning against it then sinking to the floor. She balled her self up and began to cry painfully. She rocked back and forth, grabbing at her heart distressingly, as if she was trying to hold it together. All the feelings that she had suddenly came pouring down on her. She had never felt like this before. Kyo was the first person she had loved. How could he have turned out the way he did? She figured after a moment that he was always like that. He was using her from the start. He knew that she was in love with him, and he used it to his advantage. The betrayal felt like a knife in her chest. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think.

So she didn't.

Pan sat that way for a long time, trying not to think, not to move. This happened so suddenly, how was she supposed to go on with her life? Kyo would most likely stay there until she got back, perhaps he'd try to apologize, or even attack her again. She had no where to go. She didn't want to phone Jessa quite yet, she'd have to admit that she was wrong, and her pride simply wouldn't allow that, damn it! Well, at least she kept her promise. She said that she'd leave Kyo if he hit her again, and that she did. What a freaking great night she was having!

" Miss Son!" a voice called from the staircase under her.

The surprises just kept coming.

Trunks Briefs was in front of her in a second, pulling her up to her feet. She quickly looked down so he couldn't see her face.

" What's going on here?" he asked softly but firmly, "Are you ok? What's wrong?" Pan just shook her head, pushing him away slightly. A tear landed on his hand as she did so, and his concern increased ten fold.

" Miss Son, why are you crying? What happened?"

" Look, I have to go." She told him, her voice shaking, "I need to get out of here. Leave me alone, please."

" Miss Son—"

She pushed him out of her way and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. The only thought she took comfort in at that moment as she made it to the first floor was that she was wearing far more sturdy shoes. Boots were hard to run in, but their heals don't break off when you're trying to make a get away.

Pan made it out the front doors of the charming apartment complex and proceeded to run through the chilly night air. The trees loomed over her as she staggered over the cobble stone pathway, her tears blinding her vision. She had cried in front of her boss! How could she face him at work now? 'Damn you Kyo.'

Just as she made it halfway to her car, Pan heard a "Wait!" somewhere close by but she decided to keep going. But it was rather hard to flee when someone has your arm. She turned around to see slightly wind-nipped Mr. Briefs in his black, knee-length coat looking at her confusedly. His normally perfect hair was disheveled, his cheeks tinged pink. He had to have run really fast to have caught up with her. 'Then again,' she thought bitterly, ' these boots are really heavy. GOD, I CAN'T EVEN RUN AWAY RIGHT!'

" Miss Son," he said again, quite out of breath, "Please, tell me what's wrong?"

" What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice wobbling slightly, her back still turned towards him. A surprised look graced his features.

" I'm trying to see if you need help. Miss Son, could you at least look at me while I'm talking? What are you hiding?"

" I don't think you want to see what I'm hiding. I'm not looking my best right now." She said quietly.

" Nonsense. . ." he reasoned, setting her strait so she would face him. He lifted her face so that she was eye level with him, and he became enraged with the sight. It was the strongest feeling he had had in a long time. Ever since. . .her.

" Did that Kyo fellow beat you again?" he asked with a scowl, trying to keep his voice relatively calm. She nodded slightly, trying to hide her face as much as possible.

" That bastard. . . that bloody bastard. . ." hissed Mr. Briefs, turning away from her and began to walk back towards the apartment.

" Where are you going?" she ask in an alarming manner.

" I'm going to kill him, what do you think I was going to do?" he asked. This was a very unusual characteristic for Mr. Trunks Briefs. She had never seen him angry before. However, Pan was thinking of something else. He was going to leave her there by herself. She quickly grabbed onto his jacket sleeve, making him stop.

" Please. . .don't leave me alone. . ." she said rather vulnerably. He turned to face her once more and tried to give her a small smile.

" Of course I won't. I was just going to go give that asshole what he deserved." He said simply. She raised her brow in shock, "What?"

" I haven't ever heard you curse before," She said rather sheepishly, "you've always been such a proper guy."

" Well," he exclaimed with a faint blush, "even a guy like me slips up every once in a while. Did you want me to go take care of him?"

" Oh, please. I don't need your help in that department. He probably is in worse shape then I am. I know how to fight better than he does." She said with a slightly amused voice.

" O-oh, right then," he said in a boyish tone as his fantasy of being the hero was sent crashing and burning to the ground, "What exactly happened between you two?"

" I. . ." she began, but couldn't say much more, the wounds were still too fresh. Taking in a big breath, she continued.

" Kyo. . .he. . .I found him in bed with another woman. He cheated on me. . . so I broke up with him." she managed to say before dissolving into another batch of tears. Mr. Briefs, not being extremely experienced in comforting someone, placed a rather awkward hand on her shoulder, giving it a furtive pat.

" Miss Son. . .I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to make you feel better," he tried softly, "but I know you deserve someone better than some loser who has to make others feel small by beating them."

Well, that didn't help her much. She cried even harder than before.

" I was s-so stupid to think that he'd changed back into the Kyo I once knew," she sobbed out into her hands, "_so_ stupid. . ."

" You're not stupid," he told her, getting closer, "just trusting. God, if there were more people like you. . .well, I think you're very smart, and you were just confused. He doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as you."

" Stop it," she sniffed, "I'm not smart, and I'm certainly not wonderful."

" Listen to me, you're the most wonderful person I know. After my girlfriend . . .I shut myself off from everyone, and no one even seemed to care, thinking that I was some jerk with a big title. You're the only one who. . .who saw through all that, and made me feel better again. You were the only one who would talk to me as if I was a human being, not just some stuck up rich guy out to conquer the world. Please, Pan, don't do what I did to myself. You're better than that. "

Pan looked up at Mr. Briefs with shining eyes, her lip trembling slightly.

" . . .What. . .?" she asked softly, and his eyes widened.

" I was saying—"he said, but was interrupted.

" You said my name." she said in amazement, and he looked more confused then ever.

" Of course I did, I say it all the time." He replied.

" No, you said my _name_," she exclaimed, her eyes bright, " you didn't say "Miss Son"."

He gazed at her for a moment before it hit him. He hadn't used her actual name before, not once.

" I did. . ." He said faintly, "I guess you can call me Trunks then. . .i-if you want to, that is."

" Trunks. . ." she repeated quietly.

" Pan, I want you to know that I'll try to be here for you as well as I can. I know I'm not the type of person that you would normally turn to for help, but if no one can say something that will make you feel better, maybe I could tell you what you need to hear. Don't ever confuse yourself with thoughts like you had tonight. You're a good person. You have a beautiful heart."

Pan had never felt so touched in her life. Her emotions were all over the place right then that she felt that she couldn't control anything.

Trunks suddenly felt two arms fling around his neck, embracing him tightly. He hadn't been held in an embrace for so long that he forgot what to feel at that moment. Without even thinking, he put his arms around Pan as well, holding onto her tightly as if he would never get the chance to again, like she would leave him too. Closing his eyes tightly, he allowed all the feelings of bitterness and pain surface, and he finally could accept it. He didn't have to close himself off; he didn't have to be alone anymore.

The pair let go slowly, the warmth still lingering on their bodies. Pan shivered slightly at the air. By that point in time, the sky was pitch black, save for the moon which hung luminously and full in the sky. Trunks looked her over and grabbed her from behind the elbow.

" Come on," he said, pulling her to the building, "we have to get you something warm to eat."

" But Kyo's still there, I know he is." She said, her voice scared. He stopped for a moment.

" Then you can stay at my place. . .until he leaves." He said with a reassuring smile. She looked at him shyly.

" You wouldn't mind? I wouldn't make you feel uncomfortable?" she asked almost meekly.

He gave her a true smile before saying, "I couldn't feel uncomfortable with you, even if I tried."

She felt herself smile back as she dried her tears. She knew, as she walked with Trunks back to his apartment, that she would get over Kyo. . .and finally get her life back.

* * *

So, was that any better than last chapter? Normally it takes me a couple weeks to get started on a new chapter for a story, but this is just occupying my thoughts all the time. Wow, this is kinda cool. . .

Well, I'd like to take the time to thank the reviewers! You have encouraged me to work so much harder! This is a new record for me! Six reviews on the first chapter in two days! My other story, though totally understandable because it is not a fic for everyone, and I knew that when I started writing it, only has 15 reviews over eight chapters. I'm just happy with that! Well, my thanks go out to:

Ladybugg: My first reviewer! I really didn't think when I posted it that it had a novel quality about it, I thought that it was rather rushed. Wow, you're so sweet, I hope you liked this chapter, it was also kinda rushed. I hardly have any time to do anything any more. Err....

DBZAngelX: Yeah, I was going for the whole "loner" thing in the first chapter. I wanted him to open up more in this one, he's developing as a character much faster in this chapter. Maybe too fast. . . I'm planning on having only about 10-13 chapters, so I have to move things along. I'm so glad you loved it!

Mii-chan1: Am I a good writer? Thanks! I was hoping that the story didn't look too amateur-ish. I hope you liked this chapter too.

Night: What a cool user name thingy. It's so mysterious. . . I appreciate that you were honest with the review. If I have mistakes, it's good to point out so I can correct them! This is how reviews help the writer! I'm horrible with grammar, and I rush things a lot, so I mess up. I'm happy that you liked the story line! That's all that matters!

Videl17: Yeah, I was hoping that it would be a good chapter. If you can't get people to read the first chapter, the most important one out of the whole story, chances are you won't get people to read the rest of it. I hope you like the second chapter, too!

Jas: I hope this was as action packed as you had hoped. It took me a couple hours to write (more like six, actually), but it was worth it!

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed. If you still like it, then go ahead and review some more!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry, guys, I've been having a huge writers block on what to do next. Normally I have things down in notes before I start a story, but this idea came down on me so quickly that I simply couldn't write it down. I've been so busy for forever; it's taken a whole year to put out this crappy thing I call a chapter. However, this is only a transitional chapter. The next one will be better, I promise. Now, I know what I'm doing, sort of, for the rest of the story, it's just me trying to figure out how to get it put down. So enjoy!

"Ow, that stings!" complained Pan as Trunks treated her split lip. He dabbed lightly with some disinfectant, giving a short laugh.

"Oh, come on, you seemed tougher than that, Pan." He said with slight amusement.

"Here, let me punch you in the face and see how you like the stupid disinfectant thing." She said, sticking out her tongue.

Trunks continued to clean her scrapes, sticking a bandage on her head. She felt oddly like a child, and her father was cleaning her up after playing too rough, except in this scenario, her father was extremely attractive. . .

Euh…sometimes the thoughts in her head were too much for even herself.

"What happened here?" asked Trunks as his fingers fluttered along the deep gash on the side of her neck.

"Er," she began softly, almost awkwardly, "he pulled a knife on me when I didn't expect it."

Trunks pursed his lips and muttered, "That madman. That god damned madman. Does it hurt?"

"Not terribly. How bad is it?"

"I need to treat it with some of the disinfectant stuff, but I think it should be fine."

Pan felt Trunks clean her wound, and he soon wrapped a bandage around her neck.

"Here," he said as he stood back to admire his work, "you're done. Let's go into the kitchen and I'll fix us something to eat."

"I'd be fine with a pint of Ben's and Jerry's if you have any." she said with a laugh. He stopped for a moment, a slight blush crept along his face.

"Well, I'm kinda all out…I ate two quarts yesterday..." he said with embarrassment. She laughed hard. She wasn't actually serious!

"You'd make a good woman, Trunks." She said, slightly out of breath, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice.

"You know what scares me?" he confided, looking quite shy, "You're not the first person who told me that."

Pan stumbled forward she was laughing so hard. Trunks Briefs, a woman? Pan reasoned after wiping her eyes that she'd be more than willing to become lesbian if that was the case. . . But the important fact was that he was indeed a man, so he was free for dating. However, as soon as that though crossed her mind, her smile faded a little. Why was she thinking like this? There was _no _way that she could date him! One, she just got out of a relationship only about an hour before (which left her a total wreck) and two, he was hurt before, and he most likely wouldn't want to have a relationship, well, not with someone like her at least. She thought to herself for a moment. ' I'm not really beautiful compared to his old girlfriend, and I'm not that interesting, there's no point of getting my hopes up.' Well, that solved it. She would never date him. He was her boss, damn it! Trunks couldn't be too stable with the subject, and Pan didn't want him to feel like she was after him like all those other women looking for money. She didn't want to hurt him, either. He was such a sweet man.

A man that she could never have.

"Pan, you ok?" asked Trunks, who hovered over her with a concerned look. She smiled a little. He really was too sweet for his own good.

"I'm fine, I just got a little lost in my thoughts," she said, her smile growing, "I was just was thinking that you'd look killer in a dress. Have you ever worn heals?"

Trunks tripped over himself at that remark. He gave Pan a sour look and pushed her into the kitchen.

Pan drank her cocoa and sat back comfortably in her chair. She sported a baggy, rather fuzzy sweatshirt and some slippers that Trunks was kind enough to force on her. Trunks placed a plate of freshly bake cookies on the table and took a seat himself.

"Is there anything else you'd like?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. You've gone to too much trouble for me already." She told him, picking up a warm cookie that she helped make. Trunks was a good cook, far better than she was. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, drinking and thinking to themselves. Why hadn't she taken the time to really analyze her relationship with Kyo? Normally she had enough sense to see certain faults in things, but when it came to Kyo, it was as if she had a blind spot refusing to let her see the truth. She had spent so much of her energy just trying to ignore what was there all along, trying to pretend that she was happy, that she was in love. Before she could stop herself, a tear streamed down he face, then another one. Soon her face was covered with them, and she tried to hide herself behind her hands, shrinking into her seat. Trunks turned to ask a question but was surprised to see a tearful Pan.

"Uh. . ." he began uncomfortably, "Are you ok?" He frowned at himself. He seemed to have been asking that question a lot lately.

"Oh, god, this is embarrassing," she sobbed out, "I can't make them stop. I don't know what's gotten into me."

Trunks looked her over and sighed softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to pretend to be strong all the time," he said quietly, "you've just been hurt. You can't expect to feel better about it in a few hours time. It won't feel better for a while."

"I just don't see why I'm complaining," she said from between her hands, tears still flowing like mad, " I have no room to talk. You've been through worse then I have. That woman...she tricked you in the worst way."

Trunks shook his head slightly and said, " Don't trouble yourself with me, Pan. I've had months to think about it. You, however, are allowed the right to feel miserable."

"I put so much of myself into that relationship," Pan confessed, " It was all for nothing. All that time he was with someone else. He was telling her things that he used to say to me. How could I have not seen it?"

Trunks smiled a bitter smile. He was in the same boat as Pan just a few months before. Of course, Trunks had done the same things she had; ignored the signs, pretended that everything was ok…

"We all tend to trick ourselves into thinking that some things will change, or that things will turn around by themselves if you leave them be. However, the truth is that people like Kyo and my, uh...former girlfriend won't change, not if they don't want to. You would have never found happiness with him, even if you had stayed and tried to work things out. From what I gathered on the situation, he saw your trusting nature as a weakness, something to use against you when the time was right."

"He tried to do that tonight," she said quietly, nodding a little, "he tried to lie about what happened. He expected me to believe that she forced him to sleep with her. Heh, it's kinda funny, now that I look back on it. He sounded so stupid."

Pan laughed a little, giving a few soft sniffles. Trunks grabbed her now empty mug and got up to refill it.

"Did you want more marshmallows?" he asked, and received a nod, and he poured more of the chocolaty fluid in his favorite smiley panda mug. He placed it in front of Pan, and she sipped it thoughtfully.

"She was beautiful, you know." She murmured quietly. Trunks gave her a puzzled look.

"Who?" he inquired. She gave a sad smile.

"The woman I found him with. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a model or something. She had a pretty face and blonde hair that was so long…just like how Kyo liked it. He hated me for getting my hair cut. I guess he thought it made me look ugly, or something."

Trunks gazed at her thoroughly, and came to the conclusion that she was definitely _not _ugly. He looked her over and noticed quite a few things. He looked at her lips, which were softly pouting, tinged pink with a hint of a bruise. Her pale skin looked smooth, and it accented her hair nicely. Black locks cut at sharp angles, framing her face, tickling her slightly rouged cheeks. Soon, however, he felt his eyes settle on her dark ones, her sad, emotional eyes were easily her best feature. He wondered why he had never noticed before. . .

Pan Son was beautiful.

Trunks let out a breath that he was holding in as he touched a lock of her dark hair.

"I think this cut looks good on you," he said, rather more raggedly then he would have liked, "Kyo was insane to ever think you were ugly."

Pan blushed a little and tried to ignore how he stared so insistently at her. She fingered her hair a little and cradled her mug.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anymore; I don't have to worry about impressing him anymore. I'm just glad that you're here to help me."

Trunks smiled in spite of himself. If only she was there for him when he needed someone who would understand.. ' Then again,' he thought, ' would I have even accepted her help? I was so different back then. I like it better this way. It feels…wonderful to be needed the way that she needs me.'

"You know," he found himself saying, "you're going to be ok. Not normal, but ok. You'll get through this. You don't have to be happy for a while. Just ok."

Pan shook he head in agreement. She understood what he said. She didn't have to feel happy right then. She didn't have to feel happy in the next week or the week after. But she would be ok. And she would get happy again, just not right away. Trunks gave her a re-assuring smile, and then looked at the clock across from him.

"Well, I think it's time that we go to bed, it's almost two." Said Trunks, and Pan raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Oh god…" she got up quickly and looked to the ground.

"Look," she began quietly as a blush crept onto her face, "before you get all gentlemen-like and stuff, I want you to know that I'll be perfectly fine on the couch. You can sleep in your own bed."

Trunks looked surprised. It was as if she had read his mind. He gave a small smile before arguing his case.

" Look, Pan, it really doesn't matter. I like sleeping on the couch. It's not that bad, and considering that you are the guest, I really would like it if you had a more comfortable setting."

"Oh, Trunks, you know where this is going, right?" she exclaimed smoothly as she drooped her arms dramatically around his shoulders, "Neither of us will be able to decide what to do, and then we would just have to settle in sleeping in the same bed…"

"Oooh, god..." Trunks muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, but can't you see the possibilities!" she cried, "This is just what we need! On a cold night like this...well, we'll need to _warm things up_. Who knows what could come out of it!"

"A headache?" he prompted. She gave him a pout.

"Oh, you're no fun." She said sadly, " Well, I don't care what you say, I'm not sleeping in a bed while you're forced to sleep on some stupid couch."

Trunks thought for a moment, then gave her a smirk.

"I have and idea…."

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Said Pan, her voice muffled from the sleeping bag she was enveloped in. Trunks lay about a foot away in another rather fuzzy sleeping bag on the cold floor of his apartment. Trunks shrugged a little as he lay on his side to face her.

"Well, at least we don't have to _warm things up_, as you put it."

"Oh, but that's not fair, you might be great in bed and I'd be missing out."

"Believe me when I tell you this, I've never had complaints before; so you can take my word for it."

"Well, then, someone as experienced as you should have no problems with instructing an eager student like myself." She said, batting her eyes playfully.

"Er..." said Trunks, his more bashful side kicking in, "I don't think that it's appropriate discussing this when we are just a foot away from one another, in sleeping bags none the less."

Trunks blushed slightly as Pan giggled. He hadn't been this friendly with member of the opposite sex in a long time. By god, was he actually flirting? However, before his bashful side totally took over, he found himself asking a rather risky question.

"Well, you said you're a student, right? So _are_ you experienced?" he inquired awkwardly. She gave him a coy smile.

"It's just too bad, Trunks Briefs…you could've found out the fun way, but I'm not telling you now."

Trunks shrugged and turned over in his sleeping bag, his back facing her. Pan sat up and looked at him. She pushed him a little to get his attention, but he wouldn't pay attention.

" Trunks…" she whined, " don't you wanna know?"

" Not especially, but I have a feeling that you're going to tell me anyways, so let's make this as pain-free as possible and just get it over with." He replied and turned back.

She smiled a little before going on, " I wouldn't say I'm _experienced_, but I'm not a beginner, if you know what I mean. I've only ever been with two people before. Once in college and then with Kyo."

"Are you serious?" Asked Trunks, " That's it?"

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Sex Crazed Psycho; I'm just not really into that kinda stuff. My first time was kinda funny, now that I look back at it. You wanna here about it?"

Trunks gave a quick moan of protest and threw his sleeping bag over his head. Pan just settled by him and pulled it back off.

"Well, too bad, you're going to hear about it anyway," she replied, and Trunks gave her a mean look, "I was 19, and I had been dating this guy for a while. His name was Gene Beagerman. He was really sweet, he used to bring me hot pockets and stuff and then we would study together. Well, one day he said that he loved me, and said that I loved him back, and one thing lead to another. . .well, I can definitely say that it was the _worst_ twenty seconds of my life."

Pan gave a little sigh of remembrance before settling down onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

"So," said Trunks, "do you think you really loved him?" Pan looked thoughtful before she gave an answer.

"No…not real love; it was more puppy love then anything else. We stayed friends after that incident, deciding it was just too weird. Plus, Gene was confused with his life at that point, and all that he really needed was a friend."

"Why was he confused?" asked Trunks, and Pan began to giggle again.

"Well, about a year later, he figured out that he wasn't exactly attracted to women any more. He found that he was really gay, and he fell in love, actual love-love, with his partner in advanced physics. So that's my story."

Trunks was deemed speechless at the moment. He couldn't find the words to say what he thought at the moment.

"So you turn him gay then?" he asked.

"I don't think so, it wasn't that bad… So what about you; what's your story?"

Trunks looked at her strangely before answering, "That, my dear, is a story for another time. Now we should really go to sleep."

"Alright, fine!" exclaimed Pan. Then all was quiet. Pan sat for a moment, just listening to Trunks' breathing. It was funny how things worked out she thought after a few minutes of silence. A few months ago, Pan would have been surprised if Trunks had even known what her first name was. Now they were sleeping within a few inches from one another like a couple of kids on a camping trip. It was a strange feeling, knowing that if she had never stood up to Kyo, she wouldn't be here with Trunks. It was because of him that she was able to move on.

"Trunks, are you awake?" she said softly, "I want to tell you something," She gave him a little shake but he didn't reply. He gave a small snort in his sleep and turned over. Pan gave a small smile and snuggled into her warm sleeping bag.

"Thanks, for everything."

So, yeah, that was it. I know it was short and I know it could be better, but I already know the next chapter will be very exciting. So be kind and review, I would kill for a couple of reviews. Thanks!


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